Day 9 – Almost stranded in Calcutta – but finally in Mumbai! (Friday; March 27, 2015)

After an early breakfast with lots of coffee we get an update concerning our cancelled Calcutta flight: The flight is scheduled for 4:25pm this afternoon (very similar to the one yesterday) and they tell us that a bus will pick us up around 1pm. So there is plenty of time to check e-mails (officially I am still on vacation, but I try to catch up with the latest news around SAP, my job and also the Social Sabbatical), to finalize my Nepal blog and to start my new Mumbai blog. And now it’s also time to brainstorm on first thoughts regarding our assignment with PAADUKS (which is our SAP Social Sabbatical NGO) in Mumbai.    

Good news is – around 10am the sky clears up and it stops to rain. I also check the Air India flight itineraries and there would be also a flight through Delhi to Mumbai. I decide to go to the ATM, to withdraw some cash and to take an earlier taxi to the airport – to avoid the crowds (we are more than 150 people at the moment in the Everest hotel) and to try to change the flight from Calcutta to Delhi directly at the Air India counter. Back at the hotel I buy a last Nepali present for Adri (a nice scarf – actually cheaper than in Thamel J) and take a quick nap before heading to the airport.

 At the airport the situation is as chaotic as yesterday. I go to the Air India desk and they are able to make a reservation for another seat on the Calcutta – Mumbai flight (unfortunately there is no direct flight to Mumbai from Kathmandu and this is the only option in the afternoon). But as almost expected our ‘new’ Kathmandu – Calcutta flight is again delayed – this time by 2 hours.  In addition all bags need to be inspected in detail on the stairs before we enter the aircraft which leads to further delays. As the transfer time in Calcutta is 2,5 hours I already know that I will face a problem again. Finally we are up in the air. After a bit more than 1hour we land in Calcutta and here everything is perfectly organized: When I leave the aircraft I am rushed through the superb Calcutta airport with the aid of a personal ‘bodyguard’ and within 10 minutes I am through immigration and security and on my way to the Mumbai flight. As the plane waits for transfer passengers as me I am at the end indeed able to fly back to Mumbai tonight! Ufff; one of my worst flights seems to come to a good end.

The rest is quite easy - as we land in Mumbai I call the hotel and they send a driver. After 32 hours of travelling (!!!) I am in Mumbai, arriving from Kathmandu. But today is Friday night which means a lot of traffic. Thank god we quickly reach the hotel where I meet Shruti for the first time. The staff here is so nice - they all remember me and after a quick drink at the bar I decide to finish the Nepal blog (which I am doing right now) and to go to bed :-)

Just a couple of days ago and now already a memory: Sunrise over Lhotse and Mount Everest in Tengboche (3886m) in Nepal; March 2015

Nepal was an awesome experience and a trip that I will never miss. The hike (at least 'my' part) to the Everest Base Camp was the most beautiful and most interesting hike ever. And it's not just about Mount Everest - it is the entire scenery and experience which makes this hike so uneliebable and different. Great food, nice people, good beer and lots of interesting sights in the Kathmandu valley  - with the only (but serious) issue of over-pollution and too much traffic. And a badly managed and totally outdated airport. But who cares - I can totally recommend visiting Nepal and I will never forget the deeply impressive and fascinating time in Nepal. THANKS Randy for organizing, Jim for supporting and of course Dorjee and all the lodge owners for their help and hospitality. It was a wonderful experience.   

Day 8 – Stranded in Kathmandu (Thursday; March 26, 2015)

It is another beautiful morning and I enjoy my breakfast in the garden of the Nirvana Garden hotel. Now I have to pack my things and head for the airport. I have plenty of time as my flight to Mumbai (via Calcutta) is scheduled for 4.05pm this afternoon. This morning – as so often – we don’t have electricity, but this power cut is the longest so far – over 4 hours! Around 1pm I hire a cab and we drive towards the airport. The streets are even more crowed as usual and there is a huge traffic jam – no wonder, as the Prime Minister travels from the airport to the city with his staff and as all major roads are closed just for them! Finally we find our way through the chaos and it’s also interesting to spot out and experience Kathmandu’s side streets. There is for instance a group celebrating their guru in one street (Bhaghwan was not the only one) and a bit later we pass an area with Hindu temples at the banks of Kathmandu’s dirty Bagmati river where people that passed away are just cremated as we drive by.

Typical side street traffic chaos in Kathmandu:

'Holy cow' in street of Kathmandu:

The atmosphere at the airport is quite hectic and chaotic. Somehow I find my way through the pretty useless security checks and baggage inspections. All departure gates are completely overcrowded and people sit on the floors everywhere. After some time I notice that the climate has changed: It started to rain and now we are hit by a huge thunderstorm. This storm delays all flights – and at the end our flight to Calcutta is cancelled! So back to the departure gate again, collecting our luggage and entering a bus that drives us to the Everest Hotel.  The hotel isn’t too bad and in an upscale district close to the airport, but the policy of Air India that “double occupancy” only is allowed and that I should share a room with a complete stranger makes me angry. Together with a lady from Spain and two travelers form India and Switzerland we insist that we get single rooms. After long discussions we finally receive our keys for a single room each. It’s now dark outside and I decide to go up to the bar to benefit from the free WiFi there and to inform my family, the hotel in Mumbai and my SAP / PYXERA colleagues about the flight cancellation. Around 8pm we receive dinner and for the first time in Nepal I am disappointed – the food is less than mediocre and way below Thamel House or the usually great food that was offered to us in the Himalayan lodges. It’s somehow funny – at the best hotel in Nepal I get the most disappointing food …      

Chaos at Kathmandu airport:

Later and back in my room I force me to regard this ‘lost day’ from a positive angle: I still can’t get the Germanwings airplane disaster out of my head. And the latest news is even more shocking: Looks as if the co-pilot of the aircraft wanted to destroy the plane; killing all 150 people on board. I can’t believe what I am reading. Ok – my flight was cancelled and I am now still in Kathmandu and not in Mumbai. But I am safe and the hotel is quite convenient. It’s probably better than taking any risk. Now let’s simply hope that I will fly uneventfully to Mumbai tomorrow. 

Day 7 – Birthday in Kathmandu (Wednesday; March 25, 2015)

The sun is shining, birds are singing (despite of the Kathmandu traffic noise) – and it’s birthday time! Initially I planned to celebrate with Randy and Jim here in Kathmandu but as we had to change our travel plans; I am here alone now in Nepal. This is somewhat strange – far away from my Adri, my Valeria and my family and friends. But it is as it is and I decide to make the best out of it. I head back to the Garden of Dreams and enter straight to the Kaiser Café; ordering their (really good!) Sachertorte as my birthday cake. This garden is so beautiful and peaceful – and just a stone throw away from the traffic chaos outside. 

Birthday cake ('Sachertorte) in the Kaiser Cafe of the lovely Garden of Dreams, Kathmandu:
 

The superb Garden of Dreams, Kathmandu:

As next step I decide to stop a taxi and to drive down to Patan. Patan was once an independent city and kingdom but now it is a suburb of Kathmandu. The local Durbar Square and old Royal Palace is probably even more beautiful than the one of central Katmandu. What again impresses me is the fact the Buddhist and Hindu temples stand here side by side at this beautiful square without any tension and that Buddhist and Hindu people joyfully celebrate together. Why can’t the world always be so easy?

Time for a rickshaw bike ride:

Durbar Square, Patan - mix of Buddhist and Hindu temples:

Old Royal Palace at Durbar Square, Patan:

One highlight of Patan (and this is missing in central Kathmandu) is the beautiful garden of the old Royal Palace with a lovely green open air café. I spend some time there, order mi first (and last) glass of wine in Nepal (wine is extremely expensive and not worth it – 0,1l = 4 EUR!) and try to remember the places where I celebrated my birthday. These include:

·         A ski hut in Nauders, Austria

·         Some bars in Lisbon and the beach in Cascais / Portugal

·         The restaurant up on Grouse Mountain in Vancouver

·         The ASTA building of Hohenheim University in Stuttgart-Hohenheim

·         My flat in Stuttgart and Frankfurt

·         CeBit Hannover and ‘Brauhaus Ernst August’ (no joke!)

·         The ‘Saalbau’ in Seckbach / Frankfurt

·         The Hard Rock Café in Mexico City

·         A terrific party in ‘Aribau 39’ (our shared flat) in Barcelona

·         The old “Wasserturm” (water tower) in Heidelberg

·         ‘Lürzer Alm’ in Obertauern / Austria

·         The salt hotel ‘luna salada’ close to the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia

·         A bar (don’t remember the name) in New York City

·         Päffgen Brauhaus in Cologne

·         Rheinterrassen in Düsseldorf

·         The Malaysian Serai Restaurant in Heidelberg

·         …

And today it’s Kathmandu. Not too bad …

The beautifil garden of the old royal palace in Patan:

Exhibition inside the old Royal Palace, Patan:

View down to Durbar Square, Patan:

Nice garden café inside the old royal palace in Patan:

Durbar Square, Patan:

Later I take a taxi back to the hotel and reply to all the comments on facebook and to all birthday e-mails (again THANKS!) as long as I have WiFi (the connection is horrible) and try to call my family (which is not working). Now I am ready to enjoy a dinner in a lovely Nerwani building at the beautiful “Thamel House” restaurant (including dance show) where I reserved a table on the balcony yesterday.

The Thamel House restaurant was a perfect decision - the dinner is super, the atmosphere is great and I really enjoy eating here. I eat a selection of Nepali food and I love to discover the completely new flavors that they add to the dishes here. Only the ‘traditional Nepali dance show’ is a bit lame, but I am basically here for the food and I can highly recommend it. Later I have a last drink at the Reggae Bar close to our hotel which I visited with Randy some days ago. This is the last step of a very nice but also somehow strange “birthday alone” in Kathmandu.

Great dinner at Thamel House restaurant, Kathmandu:

 

Day 6 Lukla – Kathmandu flight and day in Kathmandu (Tuesday March 24, 2015)

As I open my eyes and look out of the window this morning I am simply happy: No clouds, clear skies, good visibility – so nothing should hopefully stop us from flying back to Katmandu. To be on the very safe side I leave the lodge with the Germans around 5:30am. The walk to the airport is short and we arrive there even before 6am. As always the Germans are the first ones– there is nobody else so early in the morning. This ‘airport’ is probably half a big as the Walldorf / Wiesloch train station… 20 minutes later more and more trekkers arrive as well as the airport staff. Thank god there are no issues with my ticket (usually you have to confirm it; but I didn’t know this) and shortly after 7:00am the first planes from Kathmandu arrive. We can hear them already minutes before they land as the valley is so narrow and as these propeller planes are as loud as any big aircraft due to the echoes. My Yeti Tara Airlines flight this morning is with an old Dornier Do 228 (another small twin-turboprop) - which is even smaller than the plane we used when flying into Lukla last week.  The aircraft can only carry 12 passengers and the door to the cockpit is open.  As I sit in the second row I can see the pilot and co-pilot from my seat. We start the engine, roll to the runway and then it all goes very fast – within seconds we are up in the air.  

Chaek-in counters at Lukla airport - 6am:

Lukla airport around 6am:

The two departure gates at Lukla airport:

 

Cockpit and captain of our flight from Lokula to Kathmandu:
 

What a view and what a terrific flight: The Great Himalaya Range from my window:

The view this morning is simply fantastic: Loads of fresh snow let the 6000m / 7000m / 8000m high peaks shine in the morning sun. With Everest and Lhotse in the back and Anapurna in front this is certainly one of the most scenic flights on our planet.   The arrival in Kathmandu is straightforward and soon we recollect our luggage at the smallest baggage claim I have ever seen…

Kathmandu airport domestic terminal - 'baggage claim': 

Our Yeti Tara Airlines plane at Kathmandu airport:

Typical traffic chaos on our way into the city:

I catch a taxi and arrive at the Nirvana Garden hotel even before 8am! The day is beautiful and as the hotel staff knows me they guide me directly to ‘my’ room. What a feeling! A big room with a king size bed! A private bathroom with hot water! A western style toilet with toilet paper! Two power plugs that even work (as long as there is no electricity cut)! The rooms that appear a bit rundown now feel like heaven on earth after all these basic trekker lodges. But I truly miss the fresh air and the views of the Himalaya. Kathmandu is so loud and polluted that it’s sometimes difficult to breath. Anyway – I take the first hot shower after 6 days (I just had 2 cold showers within) and start to shave my 5 days beard (which didn’t look too bad J)

After a snap it is time to explore Kathmandu again. I start to buy some souvenirs and visit the superb Garden of Dreams with the wonderful Kaiser Café. They even have Sachertorte here – this will be my birthday cake tomorrow! 

Lovely Garden of Dreams in the heart of Thamel / Kathmandu:

Later I catch a cab that takes me to Swayambhunath – a Buddhist temple up on a hill overlooking Kathmandu. It is a crazy 30 minutes cab right – and again I realize how chaotic the traffic in this city is. The traffic here is far more extreme than in places such as Bangkok, Mexico-City, Bogota or La Paz. The temple (also called “monkey temple” as hoards of ‘holy’ monkeys life in the trees close to it) is stunning with a very steep Nepali “stairway to heaven” leading to it. This is even steeper than the ascent to Namche, mamma mia! But the experience is definitely worth it and I adore the huge stupa, the small temples and the prayer flags weaving in the wind over Kathmandu. What I truly like is the fact that Hindus and Buddhists seem to both use this site in peaceful co-existence. While many Buddhists visit this hill to pray I also see various ceremonies of Hindu people walking and singing around the Stupa. Later I ask a cab driver to drive me back to Thamel where I climb up to the rooftop terrace of “Helena’s Restaurant”.  Thamel is so busy, narrow and sometimes dusty that I feel I need to escape – and the air breeze up here is simply better. Back at the hotel I decide to have dinner at the lovely Dechenling Garden Restaurant. They offer great Bhutanese food and the beer garden is among the nicest of Kathmandu. When I walk back at night to my hotel (which is no issue at all as Kathmandu is a safe city) and pass the nearby “Garden of Dreams”, I am approached by two girls who obviously would like to offer their “services”. Oooops – I didn’t expect this and as I clearly say ‘no’ I realize the bars around. Looks as if the Thamel district is pretty different and changes (partly) into a red light zone at night…

Nepali 'stariway to heaven' to Swayambhunath temple: 

Holy monkey at Swayambhunath temple ('monkey temple'):
 

The big stompa at Swayambhunath temple: 

Prayer flags at Swayambhunath temple: 

 

 When I arrive at the hotel the shock: I check the Internet and read that a Germanwings airplane crashed on its flight from Barcelona to Düsseldorf. Unbelievable! When I lived in Barcelona I flew several times this route to Düsseldorf. And just this morning I flew out of the world’s most dangerous airport in Lukla – one of the few flights where I thought about airline and aircraft safety. And now this horrible news right from the heart of Europe! I remember U2 and one of their lyrics: “I can’t believe the news today…”

Day 5 of Mount Everest Base Camp Tour (Phakding to Lukla, Monday March 23, 2015)

This is the last trekking day and somehow I am a bit tired now of walking. Unfortunately, the weather has also changed and it looks as it will start to rain. Therefore I get up, have a quick breakfast and leave the lodge around 8am to hike to Lukla.  The landscape is still pretty but not half as impressive as in Namche or Tengboche, so I decide to speed up a bit to arrive in Lukla on time. The hike is uneventful and after 3 hours we already pass the entry gate of Lukla.

On the hike back from Phakding to Lukla:

Nice restaurant on the way back to Lukla:

DONE! The main gate when entering Lukla:

 

Besides of the small airport, Lukla is a sleepy town where not too much happens. When we arrive at the lodge a guy tells us that there is probably the possibility to catch a flight back to Kathmandu early this afternoon instead of tomorrow morning. This would be great! But after some back and forth more and more rain clouds come in and the airport is closed. At least I was able to spot and tape the last plane landing and leaving – it’s really impressive how these pilots manage to land on such a short, uphill runway. 

The (in)famous airstrip of the 'airport' in Lukla:

As promised I buy the ‘Starbucks Mug’ for Isabella in Lukla (yes, there is a Starbucks!) and I walk back to the Lodge. The lodge is really nice but today I would prefer to stay in a ‘real hotel’ in Kathmandu with hot shower and a private bathroom and with a ‘western style toilet’ (yes, these things get important here) instead of staying in a trekker lodge Lukla. In the meantime it also started to rain, so no chance to fly out today. Anyway – I start a discussion with the spouse of the owner of the lodge and it turns out that both are quite impressive characters: She was the first girl that finished Ed Hillary’s school in Khumjung and later she worked as interpreter at his hospital. She was a close friend of Hillary and she shows me a picture taken with him approx. 20 years ago. Her husband worked as Sherpa Porter and climbed several times Mount Everest!   Now they run the lodge since 25 years in Lukla together with a second Sherpa family.

All the people up here are really nice and I love these conversations. Later I meet a girl from Germany who currently works in Kathmandu as an intern and who is trekking with her father. Both are also a bit disappointed as they also stranded here in Lukla. But if all goes well we’ll fly out tomorrow morning; 7am. We just need to hope that the sky clears up…

Day 4 of Mount Everest Base Camp Tour (Tengboche to Phakding, Sunday March 22, 2015)

This morning I get up around 5:45. The room is pretty cold, so I decide to dress up quickly (as yesterday I put some of my clothes into my sleeping bag to have some warm underwear in the morning…). As next step I decide to check the weather conditions outside. It is chilly (around -10 degrees) but no clouds and the sunrise over Lhotse and Mount Everest is simply fantastic. This morning is as beautiful as yesterday. After a good breakfast (I try out Tibetian bread) and some last pics with Dorjee, Randy, Jim and the porters it’s time to say goodbye.

Tengboche, 6am - surise over Lhotse and Mount Everest with Nuptse Wall:

Tengboche, 6am - the beautiful view of the entire Khumbu Valley from our lodge; including Ama Dablam:

My breakfast this moring: Tibetian Bread with cheese:

Breakfast room - so cold that you can see you breath in the cold air:

Beautiful Tegoche monastery (gompa) after sunrise:

 

As I have to catch the plane back from Lukla on Thursday and as the Lukla airport can easily turn into a bottleneck due to unstable weather conditions, Dorjee advised me to trek back the entire route from Tengboche to Phakding today. This is usually a 2 day tour but I try to make it in 1 day (should be doable as it is mostly downhill). My porter and I start around 8am and as we almost alone and as we are well acclimatized now, we walk pretty fast. This time we take the direct route below the Mount Everest View hotel, but the views are almost as terrific as on the upper trek. As the path is almost even and as the temperatures are still moderate (15 degrees in the sun – not too cold, not too warm, almost no wind) the trek is like a wonderful walk in the park. It is so much fun to walk here and to enjoy the mountains. I hardly realize how fast we are and after 2,5 hours we are already in Namche Bazaar. Here we decide to stop and to have some tea.

Morning in Tengboche with Everest View - Video:

 

Last picture of our 'dream team' and time to say goodbye:

 

Khumbu Valley in the morning sun:

Out lodge in Tengboche with some Himalaya giants in the back:

On the way back from Tengoche:

 

Steep descent from tengoche - with Porter carrying an entire wooden door up (!):

 

'My Porter' Acte on the way back to Namche:

The wonderful hike (this time the 'main route') from Tengboche to Namche: 

Back to Namche aroud 10:30am:

 

Around 11:30 we continue our way down to Monjo and to the entrance gate of the Mount Everest National Park. Now I realize how steep the ascent to Namche Bazaar is! On the viewpoint in the middle of the trek we stop to take the last Mount Everest pictures – goodbye, my friend; the last days have been unbelievable and far, far beyond my imagination. We cross again the high suspension bridge, trek down to Monjo and further towards Phakding. Now we are trekking already 6,5 hours and somehow I get tired. It’s cloudy now and no longer as beautiful as it used to be. Finally, finally, finally we reach Phakding where we stay in the same lodge as a couple of days ago. The people there can’t believe that we trekked the entire way from Tengboche to Phakding in one day only! After a good meal I decide to visit the ‘Liquor Bar’ again and to order a well-deserved beer.  Later in the lodge I have good discussions with a German girl and her husband from Nepal and some Canadians from Montreal. Most of the trekkers are really interesting people and as tomorrow will be quite easy I stay longer in the dining room as usual. Around 10pm I finally decide to go to bed

The trail back to Phadking with the high suspension bridge in the valley:

Pracer wheel close to Namche on the way back:

Last view of Mount Everest - sad to say goodbye!:

Yak train carrying the equipment to teh Everest Base Camp for a Korean expedition:

Finally back tp Phadking and first beer in front of the 'Liquor Bar':

Excellent Nepali 'Dal Bhat' at Namaste Lodge in Phadking: